Third Strike
by Field
Summary: The first episode in the Cross Culture Series formerly the first part of my story, Cross Culture. Here, we see the characteristic return of Elizabeth Demons, Terra Prime with important information for the Captain.
1. Part I

A revamped version of "Cross Culture". I'm looking at multiple 'episodes', these five chapters make up the first. More details in my profile. Cheers, Field.

Oh, right, Disclaimer: etc etc. Let's get on with it:

* * *

Shuttlepod one landed and the launch bay repressurized. First out of the hatch jumped a very harried Archer. His eyes went immediately to the Denobulan waiting patiently behind the glass of the control room. The captain stepped to the side to let the next passengers out: Trip, followed very closely by T'Pol, holding tightly to a beautiful baby girl. 

They wasted no time in climbing up the steep ladder to where the doctor was waiting. Wordlessly, Trip extended his young daughter to the doctor's scanner.

Phlox grunted ambiguously at the readings as they came in, "Let's get her to Sickbay right away." He led the way through the corridors as briskly as though it were his own family behind him.

Again, Trip quietly submitted the child into Phlox's trusted care, stepping back as the doctor worked.

Phlox bent his head, focussing only on the little girl. He prepared a hypospray and pressed it to her tiny neck, "An analgesic for the pain, furosemide for the fluid buildup in her lungs, and something to stabilize her heart." He ran another scan, his face growing grave with concern that he attempted to hide from the anxious commanders. Quickly, he bustled to the other end of the room to recheck his results.

T'Pol stepped up to the incubator first, resting her hand gingerly on her daughter's glass casing. Trip pulled up two stools beside the incubator, and they sat. "What are we gonna do?" he asked in wonder.

"She will need a name." T'Pol said, emotion ill-hid in her voice.

"I guess we can't keep calling her 'she' forever, but what do you call someone so perfect."

"Elizabeth." T'Pol answered.

Trip sniffed, "My sister woulda liked that."

Suddenly, Phlox loomed over them, the grim look on his face still hadn't dissipated. "I'm afraid my original prognosis was incorrect. Her genome is unstable, I'm afraid the cloning process used to create her was improperly done, there is not much more I can do."

Trip bent his head back as his heart broke quietly inside.

"I've not treated this kind of patient before." Phlox continued, "I'm not familiar with the latest research on these kinds of procedures. I believe that, with more time, and if I am able to consult some of my colleagues, it may be possible to develop a cure."

Trip's demeanor changed in an instant. "A cure, Doc?" Trip seemed to think that sounded better than what his incoherent mind was screaming about.

"However, time for her is not in abundance right now. I'd like to put her in stasis."

"Whatever you have to do, Doctor." T'Pol agreed.

Phlox's face was set in a firm grimace. "Alright, then."

Opening Theme: The Killers, _Sam's Town_ Remix

"First Strike"

_Captain's Log:_

_Well, this is October the fifth, 2156. Finally, our mission has turned to one of exploration, as this is our fifth day in the Mett System. It's a twelve planet, binary sun system. Mostly class M planets, one of which we visited today. The crew really seemed to benefit from a little time away from the ship in some real atmosphere. I'm even looking forward to Chef cooking up some new vegetables tonight._

_We're currently on our way to examine the binary suns. T'Pol tells me there have been some peculiar readings coming from the centre of the system, and I'd like to investigate. Hopefully, the new shield plating will hold against the gravitational bend we expect to encounter._

x x x

"What in hell was that?" the Captain shouted frantically across the Bridge.

The Science Officer appeared much more put together than the rest of the bridge crew after the recent shakedown. "I am not certain, Captain. It appears as though the system has shifted polarity."

"There's another shockwave coming, sir." Malcolm shouted out.

"Brace for impact." Jon yelled, as he himself went flying back into his chair.

"Captain." Trip's voice came over the comm, enunciated with urgency, "We got a real problem down here. The core's just gone off-line, and there's heavy damage to most of these systems. I don't know how much longer I can keep these shields up and runnin', Cap'n."

"Do what you can, Trip." the Captain replied. "Travis, full impulse, get us out of here."

"Aye, sir."

"Captain," T'Pol hissed with urgency, "I am reading large a large flux in the gravitational polarity. I believe the system is destabilizing."

"On screen." the Captain called.

The Bridge officers watched as the two orbiting suns veered wildly. They spun around each other, quickening and coming ever closer. Even T'Pol's eyes opened wide as they watched the two suns come together and implode.

The resultant shockwave reached them in a matter of nanoseconds and brought with it tonnes of debris. The ship lurched violently and flew uncontrolled through space, all it's occupants heavy on the ground.

x x x

"Status report." the Captain wheezed, pulling himself onto his chair, nursing a bad wound on his head.

"It appears as though the anomaly has subsided. The binary suns have reformed, but the first three planets in the system have been destroyed." T'Pol offered, although her confusion was evident.

"Trip." Jon called into the communicator. "What's going on down there?"

"This ain't pretty, Cap'n." Trip's frantic voice came floating back to him. "I can give you impulse maybe in a few hours. Weapons, shields, everything else took a big hit – I can repair it, but it's gonna take a couple days. Until then, we're just gonna have to play sitting duck, not much more I can do. I'll let ya know."

"Alright, Trip, keep us up to date. As soon as the engines are ready, I'd like to have another look at those suns."

The Captain slumped into his chair, knowing it would be a while before he could get to the bottom of this very bizarre mystery. Certainly, the suns had been stable enough for the last week, and he doubted that kind of event happened very often, considering they'd just visited one of the planets that was blown to smithereens. He settled for watching the aftermath outside the Bridge windows.

x x x

Amidst the debris, a small shuttle craft drifted across the view screen. Malcolm was the first to notice it. "Captain, there's a shuttle out there." His hands floated over the controls as he scanned it for life. "I'm reading one biosign, alive, but it's faint."

"Beam them aboard, to Sickbay, if you can." barked Jon.

"Aye, sir."

"Phlox!" the Captain called over the comm, "We've got something coming your way."

"Yes, sir. I've got her now; a young woman. Her injuries look severe, but not life-threatening. She appears to be Vulcan, although I will need more tests to determine that for certain. I will let you know."

"Good, Phlox.. Archer out." The captain sighed, after closing the comm link, "Where the hell did she come from?"

"It would appear, Captain," came T'Pol's smooth reply, "that she came through the anomaly, possibly when it shifted polarity."

"Like a wormhole?" asked Jon, surprised.

"I believe so." she replied.

"What's it's origin?"

"I do not know."

x x x

Trip and T'Pol met in the corridor outside of sickbay. "Well, now, if you didn' send me here, who did?" Trip laughed.

"You have been over-exerting yourself lately, but it appears we are both at a loss. Dr. Phlox summoned me as well, but he would not allude as to the reason."

It had been three days since the original anomaly, and Trip along with every other member of the crew had taken to triple shifts just to get the ship back to functional. They had only just moved out of the system and engaged the warp drive a few hours ago.

Just beyond the doors of the medical office, Trip stopped and grabbed T'Pol's near hand. He wasn't sure why, it just felt like they should take a minute's pause before walking through those doors. He remembered the last time they had walked through those doors a few months ago, still fresh in memory. An electric shock went through them, and she turned to stare into his eyes.

They were interrupted from their trance when the doors beside them opened with a mechanical swoosh of pressurized air. "There you two are!" exclaimed Dr. Phlox, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is something I'd like you both to see, particularly before I show the captain."

This piqued the commanders' interest, and they quickly followed him inside. Dr. Phlox showed them a DNA scan, looking subtly nervous. "This is a scan I just did of the young woman we brought aboard last week." He tapped a few buttons on the control panel and a second scan appeared beside the first. "This is a scan I did three months ago of Elizabeth. You will notice that they are identical with a few minor tweaks to the new DNA. The computer confirms it."

The officers studied the display for a moment before Trip spoke. "So, what ye're sayin' is this here's a child of ours from the future?"

"No, Commander, biological siblings often exhibit diverse DNA despite having the same mother and father. I am saying that, for one reason or another, this girl is genetically identical to Elizabeth."

The two biological parents stared at their genetic prodigy, not quite as she was the last time, lying unconscious on the biobed. Trip remembered that roller-coaster weekend, when Phlox had told them there was nothing more he could do for their new found daughter, and they had to watch her die, struggling for every last breath.

The services had been nice, if not overdone; Starfleet knew just how important she was to all of them. It was probably the only time T'Pol had let him touch her in public, just two fingers of their near hands, but it was enough to comfort him. He'd let himself feel hope then, for the future, Phlox's assessment running through his head ... _'it'd probably be okay'_.

He'd been able to spend that month on a beach he'd talked about since they'd left spacedock more than four years ago – but he didn't enjoy it very much, he just wanted to see T'Pol's beautiful face again and tell her it was all going to be alright in the end. But she froze him out when he returned, he knew it hurt her too, but he couldn't do anything to change her mind – he wasn't even allowed neuropressure sessions anymore. All he had now were the little moments, sometimes stopped dead in their tracks by the reserved Vulcan, sometimes not.

Subconsciously, he reached for T'Pol.

The only expression on T'Pol's face was her quizzically raised eyebrow. "She is waking." She spoke to the Doctor, but her eyes were fixed on the gently moving girl, Trip's hands fast around her shoulders, engaging calming neural-nodes.

Slowly, the girl began to stir. Her eyes blinked, and the doctor rushed to watch her recovery.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

The girl sat up. She winced, but only slightly, very little emotion showed on her face. "I believe two of my right ribs have been broken, and I am experiencing some soft tissue injuries on my face and left shoulder."

"A very accurate diagnosis." Phlox smiled at her. Then his eyes shifted to the two wide-eyed commanders.

The girl's eyes followed, and a slight tremor of shock visibly shook her. She regained herself quickly and slid out of the bio-bed. She brought herself to her full standing height, although it certainly caused her great discomfort.

"I am Elizabeth T'Mir." she announced in a strong, commanding voice, "I know you will not expect me here, but there is much to explain. I was sent by –."

A sudden rocking of the ship interrupted and sent her sprawling across the bed. They were all a little shocked and extremely nervous, but the girl more than anyone.

"What day is this?" she asked furiously, "What day?"

"The year is 2156." answered Phlox.

"Clearly!" she practically shouted at him, "What day? How long after the Event?"

"You have been on board for three days." T'Pol answered in her typical Vulcan monotone, despite the blaring alarms and flashing lights behind her.

The girl seemed to blink back the shock, then turned and shouted at Trip, "You have to listen to me. Disable the warp drive. Shut it down, right down. Disassemble it, all the major couplings if you can."

He had already began to spring for the door before she'd laid into him, but now he was frozen in place. "Now, there ain't no good reason to do a rash thing like that."

"Not yet." she corrected him with Vulcan superiority, "Evacuate all your non-essentials from Engineering. Have them ready at the weak points of the hull. A hit will cause a surge overload, and the intermix ratios have been unsteady, have they not? – we'll be lucky to still have a ship."

A combination of his own confusion, unstable intermix ratios, and the furious certainty in her eyes sent Trip running.

"Come with me." the girl ordered T'Pol.

The two took off at a run down the hall to the nearest turbolift. I do not see the logic in your actions." said T'Pol as they ran, "Disabling the warp core is not a sound tactic if we are required to retreat."

"This is the first mission I was briefed for, I apologize that I could not warn you ahead of time." the younger, nearly identical girl returned, "Their weapons are more powerful than the Enterprise could hope to shield against. However, these weapons are trained on our warp core. By disabling the core, we give nothing for their sensors to target. And you and I both know manual targeting on ships, particularly of the Romulan Empire, leaves much to be desired."

"It is the Romulans who attack us?" asked T'Pol. They stood calmly now, bracing against the hand rail of the turbolift. "What is their motive?"

"They are testing their latest warship, and we have become convenient targets."

x x x

Another direct hit rocked the ship as the Vulcans stumbled onto the Bridge. Phaser fire and torpedoes crossed the view screen. The Captain shouted frantic orders while the crew gave hurried updates.

"Shields at 65 per cent." Malcolm announced.

"Travis, evasive manoeuvres! Lieutenant, fire at will!"

"Hold your fire, Mr. Reed." Everyone turned at he unfamiliar voice. The young Vulcan, clad in no more than her hospitalization gown, strode across the Bridge to the tactical console. "We are trying to conserve energy. You must hit the vulnerable areas of the warships, it should be these relative spatial grid coordinates, don't rely on what you can see..."

"Now, wait just a minute." The captain was beside himself. "Who are you?"

She took a deep breath, perturbed by the necessary delay. "I must thank you for my rescue, Captain." she said, "Now allow me to return the favour."

"Why aren't you in Sickbay? You've got no place on the Bridge." he shouted back.

"I beg to differ." she said, barely paying him any attention as she ran to check another console. "Have a little faith in the Universe; my primary goal, like yours, is the safety of this crew."

The comm sounded, it was Commander Tucker. "Cap'n, I'm about to power down the warp engine."

"What! Has the entire crew gone mad?" Jon muttered, "No, Trip, we need that engine online."

"Captain?"

"Commander, I don't know why you –." Another hit ended his loud thought.

"We are running out of time, Commander Tucker." the girl announced, picking herself up and continuing to tap at the console in front of Malcolm.

The captain sighed and looked at T'Pol who nodded in agreement. "Alright, Trip."

"Use this modulation for our phaser banks, Lieutenant." the girl tapped a long number on the key pad and nodded at him.

"Captain?" Malcolm asked for his go ahead.

"At will." Jon resigned, feeling very put out and useless in his massive captain's chair.

Malcolm was astonished at the ease with which he'd effectively destroyed the first target. Whoever the girl was, she was very good to have around.

"They are powering down weapons." T'Pol announced, "They are retreating."

"Congratulations." the captain turned to the girl. "Stand down red alert."

"I do not wish to challenge your authority again, Captain, but I suggest we wait to stand down our shields. The Romulans may use their cloaking devices to regain the element of surprise."

"Very well." the captain conceded and hit the comm, "Trip, we might need that engine back online."

"Again, Captain, it would be wise to wait. The signature of our engine will be sure to draw them to us." she paused for a moment to let the information settle, "Besides, I believe you will be interested in questioning me extensively. I, personally, would prefer to get that over with as soon as possible so that we may begin working together. That should fill sufficient time until we are 'out of the woods'."


	2. Part II

"Without going into unnecessary detail, Captain, I am from an alternate reality. The things I know are of events that have occurred in the past of that universe, but may not occur in this future. I was asked by a member of a certain ... meddling race to appear here in 'hopes of righting certain wrongs'." The girl, currently known as Elizabeth, smiled imperceptibly at her last thought.

"I don't understand." The captain's eyes narrowed, studying the girl in her mysterious Vulcan robes, "what race is this? And what have you come to correct?"

"The man who sent me is from a placed called the Continuum. Other than that, I cannot tell you much; he will make his presence known when it becomes of significance. He has sent me, in short, to prevent the introduction of a dangerous species which will appear in approximately eight months. It is important that we defy this risk, for they will enslave much of the human race, as well as many other worlds that are vulnerable or not."

Trip was no longer listening to the girl. "And you said yer name was Elizabeth?" he suddenly interrupted her.

She gazed at him, her features growing visibly softer. "Yes." she whispered, voice catching in her throat.

Trip was overcome suddenly with grief of Elizabeth's death still so fresh, feelings he had just been able to cope with were brought to life once more. In desperation, he searched the room, and looked to T'Pol. She too felt the same anger and remorse, through she was doing her best to suppress the emotions.

Instead, he lashed out at the girl. "Why!" he screamed, lunging out of his seat, "Why would ya do such a horrible thing; to stain her memory like this. Elizabeth is dead, don't 'cha hear me, dead!"

The girl watched the man frozen in place, openly bawling, and she considered for a full moment. The two did not move, staring intently at each other, until a single tear slipped from the girl's otherwise emotionless face.

"Sit down, Commander." she said softly, "It would help if I clarified that I do not claim to the same Elizabeth that you lost, but we have been granted the same name, for my aunt, and T'Mir in memoriam of my third foremother." She perched lightly on the table between Trip and T'Pol. "Your Elizabeth's life and my own separated only hours after she was brought aboard. In my reality, I was then thrown into a crash stasis chamber. There I remained for nearly four months while Dr. Phlox constructed a cure for my genomic incompatibilities.

"In your world, the doctor avoided the rash decision of stasis and my counterpart, whom, I can see clearly, that you loved, passed on.

"For the first week of my life after coming out of the chamber, I thrived. But, while you stayed on Earth for delegations, the Enterprise I was aboard travelled away. We were deep in Tholian space. Once again, the paths of our two ships crossed, and as things happen differently, my mother was trapped in Engineering when the core breached in battle against the Romulans." She looked directly at T'Pol who she noted was struggling to suppress a cacophony of emotion.

"The ship was nearly destroyed and we were adrift for several weeks. Captain Archer learned the full extent of the Romulan threat, but was powerless to stop it in his crippled ship. Columbia was able to drag us back to Jupiter station, but it took over a year to repair the damage once we returned.

"I was raised well by my father who made every sacrifice one could expect, and then many more. However, a Vulcan child needs mental training and companionship which Papa was incapable of, try as he might. It was then that he made the sacrifice for which I both felt love and hatred: he left me with Kov, who at that time was living in San Francisco, so that I may have mental training but not be suppressed emotionally. Enterprise departed as a final stand against the Romulan Empire. On the day he left , with tears in his eyes as you see Commander Tucker now, he told me he would 'be back real soon'.

"Once again, Enterprise engaged in a battle, one that should not have happened, and will not if we are successful in the next several months. As you may guess, for the alternate crew, the battle was not a success. So, on my second birthday, my father died as well. There are hull fragments, and some saucer sections on display in the San Francisco museum of Flight, but that was all that remained of the Enterprise.

"This ended the exploration of space as you know it. And that, in turn, made us targets for every warp capable species, allowing invasions and undetected events like the arrival of the – well, let's pray that doesn't become important.

"Despite the danger, I was well raised by Kov. Anti-alien sentiments grew to unprecedented levels on Earth, and we were forced to return to Vulcan. As you know, he is not well admired on Vulcan, and it came to be a danger for me to live with him, and further when the Vulcan's began their anti-human crusades. For the last six years of my life, I have made my home deep within the caves of the Northern desert.

"I was approached by a member of the Continuum, and that is how I came to be here. Your doctor's report can confirm most of this – at least, you know my DNA speaks to who I am, and that is hard to change. He can also show that I am missing my liver, surgically removed so that he could perform his testing. He can verify my nutrition intake and the particle remnants of my environment.

"I pose no threat to your crew. As a show of good faith, I will allow your tactical officer to escort me to the Brig. I only ask that you review the doctor's report. If you are still not convinced, I invite you to look for a message, Commander Tucker, in my shuttle, one saved from the NX-01 that was destroyed, in a place you had always deemed safe for a message of secrecy.

"Oh, and when you refer to me in your upcoming discussion, I am called T'Mir, by custom."

"Well, what do you think?" The captain eyed the two commanders carefully. The general consensus in the room, after Phlox gave a little speech and showed them some medical files, was that the girl, T'Mir, was who she claimed to be. The two who disagreed were the two for whom it was most important.

"If what she's sayin' is true, she's talking about nuclear quantum physics, and we disproved that over a decade ago." Trip was pacing the floor.

T'Pol remained seated with a look of Vulcan complacency that betrayed her own anger with the situation. "I agree that her story is most illogical."

"I think we all do." nodded the captain, a reluctantly supportive smile on his face, "What are our other explanations."

"Could she be a clone we didn't know about." offered Hoshi.

"It is possible, but we would typically see much more genetic variation between the two, simply because of the cloning process. Nor could she be a genetically altered agent for the same reasons." countered Phlox, "Not to mention that there are a number of forensic factors which tie her to the deserts on Vulcan."

"It is also unlikely that there would be such an age difference." nodded T'Pol

"I'm not sayin' she's some kind a clone. She's an agent who is tryin' to infiltrate us, and she's stainin' Elizabeth's memory to do so."

"I would agree, Commander, but she has no tactical vantage. From what we've seen, her intention is the safety of the crew. And her method has impressive results." Malcolm said.

"What'ch're sayin' is she's a good guy."

"I am saying that I have no reason to assume otherwise."

"She's claimin' to be our dead daughter, Malcolm! That just ain't right."

"Commander Tucker," T'Pol's firm voice of reason stopped him, "perhaps it would be advantageous to check the shuttle as she suggested. It may 'shed some light' on the situation."

Captain Archer stepped out of the turbolift onto the Bridge, rubbing his temples after his harrying call from Admiral Greene He quickly waved down Lieutenant Reed before he could stand to observe the 'Captain on the Bridge' protocol – one of the remaining nuisances the dedicated officer never let go of. Archer didn't know why, all the other rules had gone to hell: biology, physics, time, a linear chain of command, and all within three hours. He collapsed in his chair, convinced Trip could make it more comfortable still. "Travis!" he called, "Set a course for Earth, we've been recalled. Warp 5, that oughtta keep the engineers on their toes."

"Aye, sir."

"Engage." he muttered, "Let's get out of here before anything else happens today."

Dr. Phlox had been summoned to the Brig. The prisoner, T'Mir, had not been well, but his mind still reeled over that morning's discussion. His findings made her identity clear to him, but then that was biology, the physics of it just didn't make sense at all.

"Doctor," the security guard on duty beckoned him to move faster, "she's gone into convulsions, I don't know why."

The doctor rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks. She was curled up in a tight foetal position, shaking violently and gasping for breath.

"Call the medics," Phlox ordered the guard, "she needs to get to sickbay."

He quickly opened the door and rushed to the girl, hypospray already in hand.

As he touched her, her eyes suddenly flashed open, and they stared at each other, panic freezing them.

From her seized hand, she passed off a small, crumpled piece of paper. Then, her eyes shut and her convulsions became a seizure, and the Doctor injected her, watching her relax immediately.

Trip walked into the landing bay armed with a hypospanner and plasma torch. He stopped momentarily, taking in the double vision of Shuttlepod 1 and Shuttlepod 1. Admittedly, one was a little more scratched and bruised than the other – and this was the Enterprise's own shuttle from their current time. He took an educated guess at which pod he should investigate and lifted the hatch.

He had a fair idea of where he was looking, a concept that had occurred to him on many of his missions gone awry in the pod. He launched himself under the piloting panels at the prow of the shuttle and twisted around, feeling with his hands for what he feared was behind that bulkhead panel.

The girl woke on the biobed in sickbay. Dr. Phlox was watching her with great curiosity. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much, thank you. I presume you followed your instructions."

The doctor held up the crumpled piece of paper. "It is in my handwriting."

"You wrote it," she nodded, "or at least your counterpart did."

"You are dying." he said sadly.

"I have been dying since I was born. You and I both know my genome is unstable. An anti-viral agent detects non-Vulcan DNA and destroys it. The doses you administer allow my human DNA, which makes up half of me, to cheat death.

"I had intended to speak to you before it became critical, but the atmosphere onboard has unexpectedly increased the rate of destruction, and I was unconscious for longer than I had anticipated."

"Will you require further treatment?"

"One dose every week should suffice."

"I presume anxiety has also played a role. Perhaps we should see how this progresses."

"Indeed."

"You know, we are all confused as to your origin." he smiled sadly, "I, however, find no reason to not believe your story."

"It is agreeable that you feel that way. Of course, the pivotal point will rest with Commander Tucker."

"He is certainly violently opposed to it, but this brings up many memories for him."

"And I am aware of how stubborn he can be, or at least my own father was."

"You do not believe your father and Commander Tucker to be the same person?"

"It is a difficult line to draw. There are certain characteristics that are the same, but circumstance has changed many others. Logically, he is the same man who donated my human genome, and he has no more or less connection to me than my own father did when he first discovered me. However, a grown child is much more difficult to accept than an infant, particularly one who has already recognized another parent."

"I see." Phlox said suggestively, pulling his psychiatrist's hat off a not-so-dusty proverbial shelf, "What if –."

Suddenly, the sound of the Sick Bay doors opening disrupted them. A panicked, wild-eyed Trip burst through them. "What the hell are you trying to pull?" he shouted. He held up a piece of ragged metal, waving it in the air in explanation.

The girl eyed it for a moment. "Ah." she said calmly, turning to Dr. Phlox, "Not quite the reaction I was expecting."

Phlox chuckled, and turned to the raving Engineer. "Now, Commander Tucker. Let's all calm down and think about this rationally." He still smiled, walking towards the commander with a hypospray of sedative, arms up, eyeing the swinging piece of fuselage.

Then Trip saw him, and swung, knocking the Doctor back.

In a flash, T'Mir jumped up, and grabbed his shoulder swiftly and proficiently, holding him as he fell, unconscious, to the floor.

She helped the doctor to a bed before picking up Trip and leaving him too on a biobed. The fuselage remained on the floor. Gingerly, she picked it up, "I didn't expect him to rip it out with his bare hands." she mused.

"Sometimes people do things we would never expect, particularly when they're emotional. Now, I wonder if you would hand me that medical scanner, so that I can begin treating this nasty affliction."

"Oh, Doctor, I'm sorry. Allow me to help you." And then, to his amazement, she set the fuselage across Trip's chest and began to heal his minor injuries with practised ease.

"May I ask what is so special about that portion of the hull?" Phlox inquired after a moment.

"It says, 'Elizabeth sa'mekh loves, Trip ko-fu loves'. The words in Vulcan are words of high affection, father and daughter respectively."

"I suppose I can see why he was so furious."

"I find it most illogical."

"Not really," returned Phlox, "He watched you die, we all did. There was a funeral, and a Vulcan burial ritual. He's had dozens of delegates from many different worlds offer their personal condolences. He still has difficultly sleeping at night, this has changed him, his fundamental personality. To him you are dead, thus you cannot be alive, so you must be someone else. The rest is a conglomeration of human emotions."

"I suppose I was too hopeful in coming here, at least they had told me not to be."

"Who?"

"It's not important now. But I must speak to the Captain. I will wake Comm. Tucker, if you will watch over him."

"I'll even try to talk some sense into him."

"That is agreeable." T'Mir reversed the nerve pinch and quickly ducked out of the room.

"Wakey, wakey, Commander." Phlox called across the room.

Trip woke with a headache and extremely stiff neck. "What the hell just happened?"

"It appears T'Mir is very skilled in Vulcan arts. You see, while you swung that scrap of metal at my head, leaving these lovely bruises, might I add, she incapacitated you, thank goodness."

"I'm sorry, Doc, I just ..."

"Quite alright, quite alright, Commander, I understand perfectly well just how frustrating this is."

"It's just – did you see this?"

"She translated for me, yes."

"It's just, it's in my handwritin', Doc, in a special place ... I don't know how she knew."

"Perhaps you and she were quite close at one point." Phlox suggested.

"Well no, it proves she's lyin', 'cause she said she was two when I died."

"You know, Vulcan children mature much more quickly than human children. She was probably the equivalent of three or four when you died, mentally at least."

Trip didn't answer, just examined the etchings he held in his hands.

"At the least she's far less dangerous than you have been. Perhaps you should talk to T'Pol about this." the Denobulan hinted, knowing the two close comrades would need each other now more than ever.


	3. Part III

Trip looked up from his coffee and the data readings on the PADD in front of him to see T'Mir examining the warp engine. She ran her hand over it's smooth outer shell, caressing it, her eyes filled with wonder. She was a vision to be sure, with long robes behind her and youthful face filled with contemplation. Trip didn't see her that way.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the Brig?" he asked her, none too nicely.

She turned suddenly, startled. "I was ... released."

"You can't be in here, it's restricted access."

"I apologize, it's been so long since I've seen them." she let a broad smile cross her face, "Sentimental, I know, but they are beauties."

She was tempting him, he knew. He brushed by her, escaping to his corner office. "You need to leave." he stated gruffly as he passed.

She paused a minute, the most logical course of action was to leave as he had asked. She followed him to his office. "What are you working on?" she asked, leaning over him to get a glimpse of the PADD.

"Hey!" He used his arm to push her away.

"You're thinking of inversing the intermix ratio, and increasing the polarity of the warp conduits." She judged from the few words she had managed to glimpse. "A novel idea."

He didn't want her anywhere near, but she wouldn't move, despite his glowering stare.

"What type of yield do you expect?"

He answered, but grumpily: "About 300 GigaCochranes."

"I seem to remember that this engine isn't designed for those amounts of energy. You would lose most of the energy gained." She managed to push her way in to his console, mostly because he was slightly interested in what she was about to say. "Furthermore, I don't believe the structural integrity of the hull was meant for these speeds. But, it does seem logical that we could increase our anti-matter efficiency with this new design by maintaining the energy, creating a slower reaction turnover."

Trip looked up at the screen, contemplating what she had said, _just in passing curiosity_, he had to assure himself.

"Perhaps, the focus should be on Lieutenant Reed's force-field generators. If they could be improved to the proper specifications, it wouldn't be difficult to adapt them to the warp field."

"Okay, but then whatta we do when the system's power relays shut down?"

"We tie them directly into the engine. Reasonably, when the engine powers out, the field will be disabled, but not before. It will be a self-contained containment system."

"Who are you?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Kov was an engineer, and some would say it is 'in my blood'. I may have lived as an outcast for many years, but I am not oblivious, I am Vulcan."

x x x

T'Mir knocked on the doors to the Captain's quarters. She was met by distant shuffling, a groan, and an eventual, 'Just a minute'. Her face did not register the shock she felt when the Captain appeared in only his skivvies.

"Captain," she began, "I apologize for catching you at an ... inconvenient ... time."

"Quite alright, uh ... Please come in. I hope your quarters are suitable."

"They will suffice, thank you." She promptly sat down neatly on his couch, as if unaware of his casual dress. "I will be brief, I require a long-term placement on Enterprise. In return, I can offer you all the knowledge I have gained. In my universe, many new technologies have been developed and a great number of battles have been fought."

"I have no problem with it, you've already proven your worth. However, the decision affects some crew members more deeply than I can be responsible for."

"Commanders Tucker and T'Pol." she nodded. "I understand there may additional issues to resolve, but that does not affect our relationship, or my usefulness to your crew."

The Captain shuffled across the room.

"The All-England Water Polo Championships, Captain?" she noted, mostly to try to make him feel more comfortable.

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"An excellent match."

He flicked off the recording.

T'Mir turned back to the Captain. "I take it I am to ask the commanders for my asylum."

"If they agree to let you stay on the ship, then the asylum is granted."

"Thank you, Captain. Would it be inappropriate to place an early bet on the upcoming FINA World Championships?" T'Mir raised an eyebrow, and walked out of the room without a further word, leaving the Captain utterly mystified.

x x x

"Are you alright, Trip?" T'Pol asked from across the meditation candle.

"I'm just mad about the whole thing, I'm not myself anymore."

"It is difficult to accept." T'Pol agreed.

"First, I never expected Elizabeth, but I was so happy. Then she died, and I got to thinkin' I would never have a child, that two days of parenthood would be it. Now there's this teenager runnin' around, who's apparently smart and beautiful and courageous, but it's too strange to let myself hope, ya know, it doesn't make sense."

"I also appreciated Elizabeth's life with us, however short it was. I too grieve for her."

"I just can't take another one doomed to die. First there was Lorian, and Elizabeth ..."

"Trip –."

"Ya ever think about havin' kids, T'Pol?" Trip went off on a tangent.

T'Pol was about to answer, when she was interrupted by the door chime. She raised an eyebrow and stood to answer it.

Outside stood T'Mir. She wasted no time in accepting T'Pol's invitation to enter and stopped just far in enough that the door closed behind her. "I wish to remain aboard Enterprise." she announced.

"You should speak to the Captain about such matters." T'Pol informed her.

"I have, he required me to speak with you before he will agree."

"We were just speaking of you, in a manner, prior to your arrival, but we have not yet come to a conclusion about your identity." T'Pol said matter-of-factly, standing between T'Mir and Trip.

"Ah." T'Mir nodded, noticing Trip's quiet presence. "I understand your apprehension. I too find the situation most illogical. However, I have been forced to accept the entirely improbable events that have recently occurred, and I am now faced with the difficult task of convincing you to accept them as well. If you would like, I am able to initiate a three-way mind meld so that you may read my memories and determine they have not been falsified."

"You are capable of such things?" T'Pol tried to conceal her wariness.

T'Mir nodded, "Yes. I have had a great deal of time to spend on the writings of Surak."

T'Pol paused for a full moment, trying to sort out the turmoil of emotions that overwhelmed her suddenly: Trip's emotions. "The meld is agreeable." she sighed, "Are you alright?"

T'Mir had a strange expression on her face, a quizzical smile as it were with a single raised eyebrow. "I was not aware you were bonded. It is agreeable to me."

"We are not bonded." T'Pol snapped back defensively.

"Oh, no?" T'Mir watched as T'Pol sat on the floor, her tongue rolling around in her cheek in concentration.

Sitting, T'Mir turned to T'Pol, "I ask only that you not attempt to access my memories of your own death, it was very ... unpleasant." She turned to Trip, "Commander, I do not know whether the meld will cause you any discomfort, but I am certain you will receive full benefit from it. However, I must ask that you relax and allow the contact, however disagreeable it is for you."

The two officers nodded, looking quite apprehensive, and T'Mir began, placing her hands carefully on their temples, "My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts..."

Suddenly, they were tossed into her subconscious. It was very organized, a result of extensive meditation, but with a certain charming clutter, not unlike the Engineering deck.

x x x

_Firstly, they witnessed her initial moments of life, waking in an incubator with Paxton staring at her. And he moved back and was replaced with the commanders themselves, as they had been the first time they had seen her. T'Pol scooped her up then, and she was aboard Enterprise. _

Everything thus far coincided with the version of the story they had been a part of. _The Doctor picked up the screaming infant and tucked her into a stasis chamber._

_In the next scene, she was pulled out and operated on immediately, and injected with a series of undisclosed medicines before being thrown back into the chamber. _

The quick trauma of her life gripped the commanders, and Trip's hands tightened deathly around T'Pol's.

_Then, the scene relaxed and she was comfortably in the arms of her biological mother. They were sharing a story telepathically, and T'Pol gently rocked her to sleep._

_She was in Trip's arms, clinging to his fingers and shoving them in her mouth. He pulled back, testing her strength and tapped her on the nose. She let go of him, and he fingered her ginger ear points._

_T'Pol was in engineering with the baby, Trip asked for assistance, and she bent down to help him configure the new engine. Suddenly the ship rocked, and the display they were working at flashed an angry red, the warp core had suffered a direct hit, it's breech was imminent. In the pandemonium, T'Pol handed her daughter to Lt. Hess and worked frantically at the panel with Trip._

_Trip yelled for her to go, but she pulled rank. He left, but not without dragging her to her feet and shouting some sense into her. They ran for the doors while Trip shouted the authorization code to lock down Engineering. Trip made it through the doors as they started to shut. But T'Pol tripped over an exploding pipe, and fell as the two-tonne emergency doors shut on her. Trip cried openly, and Lt. Hess turned T'Mir's head away._

_In his grief, Trip soldiered on in his parenting endeavour, holding her at the funeral and hugging her desperately while he cried for the dead woman. It took along time to get the engines running again, and even longer when they realized there was no hope of rebuilding them._

_While the Enterprise was grounded at Jupiter Station, they played together, and he told her all the stories he knew while she quickly grew into a small girl. But he had headaches, and eventually consulted his friend Kov who told him she needed telepathic training. In the month that they spent in San Francisco with Kov, the girl grew significantly happier. _

_Trip took her on one last shuttle flight, taking her to a zoo, for ice cream, pony rides, all he could think of. At the end of the day, they crouched under the control panel of the shuttle and wrote on the interior panel of the console. Then he kissed her on the forehead and said, 'I'll be back real soon' and left her with Kov._

_Together, she and Kov watched the shuttle fly away from the viewport at Spacedock and felt the little girl's grief consume them._

_Kov lived in a little apartment in San Francisco with the little girl. He called her T'Mir and told her that she needed to control her emotions. He helped her, and smiled infrequently. Then he told her of the battle with the Romulans, and told her that her family was dead._

_He sent her to a preparatory school, but anti-alien sentiments grew to unprecedented heights. She was ostracized and bullied at school and on the streets, neither of them were safe on Earth. They retreated to Vulcan, but Kov was not well received._

_They had a little shop in the centre of a city and T'Mir began school once more. But the Vulcan children made fun of her in their dry humour, and harassed her when anti-human sentiments spread. Kov, too, was outcast for his blatant displays of emotion and they moved to the desert, inhabiting some caves as best they could._

_Until Kov was recalled to the city by his father and began to serve the High Council. T'Mir was mostly alone, save for visits from Dr. Phlox with injections for her, and from Kov, and an elderly priest who wandered the mountains in search of Surak and who took pity on her and brought her books. There were long periods, several days, when she would do nothing but sit and meditate, or sometimes just sit and watch the sky across the rock formations._

_She found her own food in the desert at night, and a stream through the back of the cave supplied fresh water. Long days were spent reading and practising old Vulcan arts. Other days were spent studying Kov's engineering textbooks and the literature of twentieth century earth._

_One day, a stranger came to her cave of recluse. His name was Q and he wore a strange uniform that was red and black. He spoke with her at length, handed her several futuristic devices, data PADDs, and a map, then snapped his fingers and was gone in a flash._

_She read the PADDs, poked at the devices, and eventually went to Kov in the city. The two of them travelled to Earth, secretly, and stole the recovered Shuttlepod 1 from the San Francisco Museum of Flight. After some upgrades that Kov was able to assist with, she followed the map to her destination in the middle of space. _

_The mysterious Q reappeared and they spoke again, much more seriously this time. Then he snapped his fingers, and she engaged the engines once more, hurtling herself into the middle of a binary system._

x x x

The three woke in the dark room with an explosion of emotion that tore them physically apart. T'Pol was breathing irregularly and heavily, her eyes wide. Trip struggled to plug the tears streaming down his face. T'Mir huddled, emotionless, on the floor.

"I am sorry, for what it's worth." said T'Pol once she had her breathing under control.

Trip had more difficulty controlling himself. Leaving puddles beneath him as he crawled over weakly, he collapsed beside her and hugged her gently, burying his face in her hair. No one should have had to go through that.

"You may consider your asylum granted." T'Pol said stiffly.

"That is agreeable." T'Mir muttered, not moving so as not to disturb Trip as he lay around her.


	4. Part IV

"Captain, Romulan warbirds have just decloaked." T'Pol called across the bridge.

"What? We're in neutral territory." called the Captain.

"Not anymore. They are firing." T'Pol read off her sensors.

"Raise shields. Target their weapons systems. Hail them."

"Don't bother, Captain, there's no one aboard those ships. Fire at key areas, phasers at modulation 18-92, 04-25, Malcolm."

"T'Mir?"

"Do it, Lieutenant." she called. "We need to destroy these ships before they have a chance to retreat. Accessing secondary weapons control."

"Do it." affirmed the Captain, "Evasive manoeuvres, Travis. T'Pol, boost power to the shield generator."

x x x

One hair-raising victory later, in which a delighted Malcolm blew one ship to a million tiny fragments, the crew celebrated while T'Mir looked visibly worried.

"Thank you for your help." the Captain said quietly standing next to her, "Your knowledge has proven to be beyond useful. You are welcome to stay on this ship as long as you need. I will have more suitable living quarters prepared for you."

"Thank you, Captain, that is very kind."

"Is something bothering you?"

"I have only one set of phaser alignments left to give you, Captain. The Romulans will have adapted to the others, and I still believe it imperative we destroy all five of the advanced ships."

"So, we have one more chance?"

"Yes."

"And you don't believe we can do it?"

"Not really, no, if I may be so blunt, Captain."

"Do we have to destroy them?" Malcolm asked from behind her, for once his love of blowing things up surpassed by the enthusiasm of the youngster.

"I would think you, Mr Reed, would be the last person to object."

Malcolm looked at her, had she just made a joke? "It's simply a strange prerogative, and I'm still not clear on the motives."

She rubbed her temple, fatigue showing through for just a minute. "I will be honest, Lieutenant, even I'm not entirely clear on this mission. Logically, it seems it would suffice to avoid the Romulans, and maintain our upperhand knowledge for further encounters. However, as much as I am privy to, the ships are designed and built on an off-world colony. There have only been five prototypes made. The Romulan government ordered the construction of the ships, and has sent them for trial runs against Enterprise.

"As you can see, these ships will pose a great threat once we are no longer able to destroy them. I believe we are being sent to eliminate all remnants of this new technology before it can be produced en masse by the Empire."

"We'll have to destroy the ship yard, then, too?" Malcolm asked, a familiar boyish glint coming back to his eyes."

T'Mir turned to him and gave a brief low smile, "Indeed."

x x x

"May I speak with you?" T'Pol stood at the doorway to T'Mir's temporary quarters.

T'Mir didn't let her surprise show through. "Of course." She stood aside to let the older Vulcan through. "You must excuse the clutter." she said hastily, drawing attention to a neat pile of artefacts on the floor, "I find an alternate to meditation to be reminiscing on objects of significance to me. I was unpacking."

"I hope you find your quarters to be satisfactory." T'Pol asked, doing a thorough visual sweep of the room.

"Indeed." T'Mir nodded. "Although, I was not aware there would be a formal inspection." She commented, drawing T'Pol's attention away from the pile of things.

"I was merely curious."

"Some of those things you must recognize." T"Mir knelt down and picked up an old package, recently unwrapped, "My namesake's purse from Carbon Creek." And she fished out a bright yellow swim cap, "From the Water Polo World Championships in a few weeks, Captain Archer will always envy Commander Tucker for catching it." She pulled out another photo. "Commander Tucker's extended family."

T'Pol recognized it as the one from Trip's quarters, as she had recognized the purse duplicate to the one she kept under her bed. It startled her somewhat, and she stared at the objects.

"But that's not why you came here." T'Mir stated.

T'Pol turned as the girl stood up, watching her with ill-covered nervousness. "No."

"You are losing control. Please, meditate with me." The girl turned towards a meditation candle in the far corner, flashing an inviting smile and soulful blue eyes that made T'Pol's heart race.

"I cannot." she stated, "I must know before my mind will allow an equilibrium."

T'Mir stood, waiting for T'Pol to speak out loud what she knew she was thinking.

"You said that Commander Tucker and I were ... that we were bonded. I have felt it as well, but am still uncertain."

"A might bit shocking that must have been, as it was for me as well. Although, I suppose I was too young to notice it before." T'Mir smiled again, and sat down, indicating for T'Pol to do the same on the meditation cushions.

"I have informed Commander Tucker of my suspicions, and of the ... consequences."

"How has he taken it?"

"Well, admittedly, though he still has not grasped the concept in entirety. I do not believe it wise to continue to be bonded to a human, particularly in the path of Surak. I wondered if you might have any insights into this predicament."

T'Mir inclined her head to say she understood. "Tell me, when did you first see the bond for what it was?"

"While Commander Tucker travelled to the Columbia, I found him in my meditation. He believed he was daydreaming, and I believed that my emotions were affecting my thoughts. It was not until he returned briefly, and a group of Orion women came aboard that I suspected the truth."

"It does seem like a rather old bond, one that has been existent for perhaps a year, maybe more. It seems you are quite comfortable with it, despite denying it's existence. Although, I expect, you would experience flashes of emotion not your own. That would be rather disconcerting, particularly considering the continually charged emotional state of Commander Tucker." She laughed a little here, but stopped it almost as soon as it had come, as though forgetting whose company she was in.

"I have read that finding another in meditation is a feat of only the strongest Vulcan bonds. However, my vision is clouded on the matter." she stood again, and made for the door, "You must understand that, at the time, I was not old enough to recognize anything of significance that I may pass onto you now. This is for you to discuss with Commander Tucker. Please do not hesitate to ask for assistance if it is required."

T'Pol nodded her thanks and left as the girl was asking. She needed to speak to Trip.


	5. Part V

Sirens woke the crew in their quarters. T"Mir rushed to slip on a suitable suit, and sprinted down the corridor.

She burst out of the turbolift as the Bridge was in full chaos. "Captain." she alerted him to her presence.

He nodded. "We've got four ships out there. So far, we've been able to keep out of too much trouble. I've got Trip shutting down the core."

She nodded in response and smoothly made her way to tactical, punching in the codes for the waiting Lieutenant. "Remember, seek to destroy. This is our last chance."

"Understood." he said, and landed a square blow on the lead ship.

"Cap'n," Trip called over the comm., "I've got the engine off line. I'll keep whatever power I can to the shields."

"Great, Trip." called the Captain. "I'll –."

"Commander." T'Mir interrupted, "Meet me in the shuttle bay."

"Aye." he took her orders without question, leaving a very miffed Captain Archer.

"We will provide 'backup'." she explained, before rushing out as quickly as she had come.

x x x

"Commander, please." even through her stony expression, she was begging him to just listen.

"We'll be killed." he yelled back.

"Perhaps, but we will be killed all the same if we don't do this now." she remained calm, although the side of her nose twitched.

"I'm not goin', and I'm not lettin' you go either. You've taken a lotta liberty since ya got here, and it's time for someone to put their foot down and say 'no' to yer hair-brained schemes."

"Commander..."

"Now, come on, get to Sick Bay, it's the safest place on the ship for children." He reached out to grab her.

"NO!" she whipped away from him, "Ya've been dead too long to be my parent again. Now, get on the damn shuttle." She looked a little embarrassed by her Southern outburst, but turned defiantly with Vulcan grace to her waiting Shuttlepod.

He just watched her, until she reached up to close the hatch. "Now, wait here, yer not goin' out there by yerself."

"Well." she pointed to the Shuttle to the left and raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Fine." he muttered, and scrambled into the other Shuttlepod 1.

"Depressurizin'." he yelled, after opening a channel between the two pods.

"Understood. Powering up impulse engines. Keep the warp coils offline and we'll be fine, trust me."

"Heh," he laughed, "That's great, 'cause this shuttle's got no warp coils, and I've known ya all of five days."

"You have the phaser modulations?"

"Yep. Let's go."

x x x

"What in hell are they doing?!" Archer cried out, as soon as he saw the two shuttles sprint away into the firefight.

No one on the Bridge spoke as they watched in horror. Until the two shuttles single handedly destroyed the fourth ship in a matter of minutes.

"Crikey." Malcolm muttered, and remembered his task at hand.

The battle waged on. The first ship had been destroyed, and the second was giving them a hard time, but looked like it was on it's way out.

"Captain." a garbled voice called over the comm, "What is your status?"

"We're holding in, T'Mir. How's that shuttle holding together?"

"Fine, thank you, Captain. I believe Commander Tucker and I will be able to finish the second ship if you would turn your fire to the last ship. We will come to assist you when we have finished."

"Alright, then." Archer nodded to Malcolm and cut the link.

x x x

T'Mir relayed the information to Trip, and targeted the weak points on the hull. The left wing of the warbird was no more than a jaggedy stump, and still the ship waged war. Frustratingly, they just wouldn't die. T'Mir made pass after pass at them, and Trip followed.

Warp plasma streamed from a tear in the central body of the ship, and they fired again, just narrowly missing T'Mir's shuttle.

Trip had had enough, he opened a channel to T'Mir. "T'Mir." he shouted across the static.

She saw what he was going to do, partly because she had thought of doing it herself. "Commander, I can't let you." she shouted back at him, watching as the shuttle pointed for the ship's core.

"It's the only way." he said, "If I can save them, then I will."

"Trip." she begged, but he turned off the comm.

The shuttle went down, Trip keeping a steady hand on the phasers. He gulped, 5... 4... 3...

x x x

3... 2... 1... T'Mir tapped the controls and held her breath. The shuttle crashed into the warbird, destroying it completely.

"Hey." a disgruntled cry came as the shuttled veered sharply. Trip braced himself against the bulkhead, and laughed, "What the...?"

T'Mir turned to look at him, and raised her eyebrows deviously, "I had it fully equipped. I thought I had made it clear that I wasn't going to let you die in battle. Now, assist me on tactical."

x x x

The Bridge Crew watched in horror as one of the shuttlecraft obliterated itself on the Romulan ship. They didn't know who it was, the two shuttles were identical. They didn't have long to mourn, the other shuttle had already started to engage the final warbird.

x x x

The battle was over, and the shuttle was heading back to the launch bay. "Do you wanna take it in?" T'Mir asked Trip.

"Ya talk like me sometimes, why is that?" he asked her.

"You did teach me how to talk." T'Mir answered, "It's just natural for me. Kov was rather put off though."

Trip laughed, and she was glad to see it. "I think you'll be alright to take 'er in." he answered.

"You know, I've only ever had one flying lesson. I'm probably not the best person for the job."

"You what?"

She shrugged and moved away from the controls.

A highly anxious Trip jumped in. "You flew us all around that and you've not ever flown before."

"It was easy enough to pick up." she said in defence.

Trip sighed his acceptance as he initiated the final docking sequence.

x x x

The Captain burst into the launch bay as soon as it was safe to do so, T'Pol immediately behind him. He saw T'Mir jump out of the hatch once it opened.

"Trip." T'Pol's voice caught in her throat. She was certain he was still alive, she would have known otherwise through the bond they shared. Her control started to give way to an emotion, _grief_, when she saw him step down out of the shuttle.

The Captain ran towards the pair, calling "Trip!"

"This gal is one hell of a miracle worker." Trip smiled exuberantly as he hugged T'Mir close to him.

The Captain hugged them both. "You're both alright." He was relieved, but his question begged answering.

"T'Mir's got transporters in her shuttle." Trip answered, "I need to have a better look at that thing."

T'Pol came up to them, walking as briskly as she could. She nodded, "I am glad you are both alright."

"Good to see you too, T'Pol." Trip laughed, and pulled her into a bear hug.

T'Pol tried to back away from the contact, but was stopped by another forceful hug from behind: T'Mir. She sighed, and relaxed a little, allowing the contact.

"So, she stays then." Archer laughed, mostly at the poor Vulcan trying not to squirm.


End file.
